


All I Need is Six

by vioislit



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Death, Fear of Death, Found Family, Gen, Historical References, Honestly please do Not read this is you think you'll be triggered by it, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Death in Childbirth, Major Illness, Panic Attacks, Reflection, Sad Ending, So much death, be warned, please, this is angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:42:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23517883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vioislit/pseuds/vioislit
Summary: Sure, history was overthrown... But what if history decided to reclaim what it once owned?TW: Death. A lot of it. Please be careful!
Comments: 71
Kudos: 85





	1. Divorced I

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please be careful! If this triggers you, please don't read it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end. Catherine feels a little... Under the weather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs: Sickness, character disregarding said sickness, character death, angst  
> Again, please, please be careful! If this triggers you, please don't read it.

It started as something innocuous. During the last song in the show, Aragon started feeling a bit tight in the chest. It was a little strange, but as long as she didn’t inhale too deeply, she could handle it. She was Catherine of Aragon, for goodness’ sakes! 

She stuck it out through bows and meeting fans, but by the time the girls had arrived home, the tightness developed into a sort of stabbing sensation, It was one she hadn’t felt in decades, in hundreds of years really… No, it couldn’t be. Whatever illness that had befallen her long ago, it was surely eradicated! Catherine staggered from the washroom to splash some water on her face.

‘Pull it together, Cath!’ She thought to herself, in a sad attempt for composure. There was a voice in the distance, Jane, maybe, asking if she was alright, and she shrugged her off. She would be fine! There was nothing to do but join the others in the living room, which is where things turned south. It all happened so fast. Aragon had just made it to the couch closest to the door when she felt herself clap her hands to her chest and collapse, almost in slow motion.

“Catherine- Goodness, are you alright? What happened?” A chorus of worried voices brought her back to the world of the living, and when she came to, she was propped up against the wall, with the girls around her. Jane was frantically running to get her some water, Boleyn looked uncharacteristically worried….. It would’ve been nice, if only pain weren’t lancing through her body. 

She winced, gasping for breath, and gratefully took the cup of water Jane offered her. “I don’t know what’s happening, it just-” She cut off abruptly, watching memories flash before her eyes.” This is what happened before I died.” It was almost a whisper, a confession that she didn’t want herself, let alone a priest, to hear.

“Oh, Cat…” Jane let out a sympathetic noise, squeezing an arm around her to wrap her into a gentle hug. She knew talking about the past, when it didn’t involve what they sang about every night, of course, was a hard thing for Aragon to do. None of the queens knew how she died; out of respect, they hadn’t looked up how any of them died (well, they knew about Anne, Kath, and Jane).

The rasping breaths coming from Catherine was almost too painful for the other girls to witness; nevertheless, they huddled around her and helped her to lay down, head pillowed in Jane’s lap. She felt Parr holding one hand, and somebody- was that Boleyn? holding the other. Strange. It felt strange. 

Everything started to go fuzzy, and the voices murmuring around her fade to a distant echo. This wasn’t so bad, Aragon decided. At least she was among friends. There was no better way to go. Well, a little less pain would be appreciated, but beggars can’t be choosers. As she slipped away, she was at peace.

“No-” Parr was the first to notice, and she covered her mouth with a choked off sob. “Catherine, nonono, don’t go please!” Surprisingly, that came from Anne. Of course, they had their differences, but she always considered the first queen to be a great friend… Frenemy? She wiped away tears with her free hand, squeezing the limp hand grasped in her other. This couldn’t be happening! 

At that point, all of the queens were crying. They’d suffered a terrible loss, and it almost seemed impossible. Strong, bold Catherine, gone in an instant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That was p sad.. But it only goes downhill from here.
> 
> Update coming in the next few days! Depends on how patient I am tbh.


	2. Beheaded I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second day dawns. Anne takes a turn for the worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Blood, injury, scars, allusion to beheading, character death, angst

That night, the five girls slept huddled up in a pile, teary-eyed and sniffling. They had called the crew and explained the situation; they’d get the rest of the week off to mourn the death of Catherine of Aragon. Anne Boleyn was still shellshocked from the events of the previous day, and as out of character it was for her to be quiet, she spent most of the day in silence. 

It took a while to process what had happened the night before, and she kept to herself, much to the concern of Jane and the others. This introverted behavior was unlike the bubbly young woman they knew, and the queens were just about to knock on her door when it lurched open. Anne stumbled past them, her right hand covering her neck.

“Anne, darling, are you alright?” Jane tried to ask, but the girl in question was gone, bolting to the bathroom in apparent panic. What was going on? A small gasp from inside prompted them to peek inside, and what was inside the bathroom was.. Unforgettable.

There was a collective harsh inhale, and the first thing they saw was red. Rivulets and trails of it, creeping from in between Anne’s fingers and her lips, staining her hoodie and dripping onto the pristine floor. She whimpered, squeezing both hands tighter around her neck and- Wait was her scar bleeding? Her hundreds-of-years-old scar?

Katherine was distraught. First Aragon, now her cousin? What was happening? She took no time to ponder that, instead running to Anne and helping to ease her onto the cool tiles, cradling her in her arms, and helping Jane and Anna to press towels against her neck. 

‘This isn’t fair,’ she kept repeating to herself. It wasn’t fair that Anne had to suffer in agony and bleed to death, it wasn’t fair that they had to lose her, it wasn’t fair! She started to cry, and was shocked out of her grief by a wet hand on her cheek.

“It’s… okay, Kitty..” Anne choked out, smiling gently at the girl above her. Katherine hushed her, tears mingling with the bloody handprint on her cheek. She watched, and cried, as Anne’s eyes slowly lost their signature mischievous glint, and as the life drained from her body.

What do you say after you’ve witnessed something like that? Silence hung over that little bathroom like a heavy fog for a while, the remaining queens unwilling to look away from the tragedy in front of them. 

Anna tried to get Katherine’s attention, to maybe move her away from the body- from Anne- to clean her up, or let Jane hug her, or something; however, when Anna all but moved in her direction, the girl just held on tighter, held on as though her life depended on it. There was nothing anyone could do about it. Anne Boleyn was always going to be the second to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ouch, right? There's actually a drawing for this chapter on my tumblr, but be warned, the same trigger warnings apply!


	3. Died I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third day comes, the pattern is realized. Jane doesn't have a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Character death, references to death in childbirth, birth complications, blood, angst  
> (Note: I am not a doctor so this is probably Not accurate, though I'm sure you've realized from the first chapter onwards)

Jane Seymour woke up with a pit in her stomach. She attested it to the losses of Catherine and Anne, but she was terrified that she’d be next. The whole morning, she could feel it in her gut that something bad was about to happen. She tried to brush it off, comforting Katherine, who woke up screaming, and talking quietly with Parr over a cup of tea. Her role was the mum, remember? It was about noon, and her dread had all but dissipated, because she was taking care of her girls, and that was more important.

That’s when the cramps started: horrid, twisting things that varied in intensity from nuisance to doubling over. She couldn’t really hide that from the queens, so she locked herself in her room.

She remembered this feeling; the burning and the weakness, it was the one constant in her life (other than Edward) before her… Right. This was the beginning of the end. Jane sniffled, wiping away tears when she heard a quiet knock on the door. She murmured a quiet “come in,” and was surprised to see Catherine Parr at the door.

“Cath, love, is everything alright?” Jane tilted her head with a warm smile, trying not to react to the pain lancing through her abdomen. A telltale wince, however, gave her away.

“Actually, Jane, I was wondering if you were alright. I can tell you’re not,” Parr said quietly. There was a pause, and Jane beckoned her over. The brunette sat on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed, and after a few seconds, intertwined their fingers. “Listen, I know what happened to you, and.. The same thing happened to me.” 

She avoided the patented ‘mum glance,’ and looked down at her feet. It was something horrible, what happened to the two of them, and it was amazing that modern medicine and technology had reduced the amount of women suffering from it. That didn’t stop what was happening to Jane, though.

As the blonde doubled over again, Catherine stroked her back, whispering encouragements and holding her hand. It hurt her to see Jane in pain, and she desperately wished she could stop it. With a quiet cough, Jane straightened up, wiping a smear of blood from her lips. “I think this is it, Cath… Could you help me lie down, love?”

As Parr helped her get comfortable, she got to thinking. She wasn’t happy about this, but what could she do? The worst part of what was happening was thinking about leaving Katherine, her Kitty. Of course, Cleves and Parr would be with her, but she ached for more time with her.. Friend? Daughter?

Just in time, Katherine Howard burst into the room. She gasped at the sight in front of her, at the red stain across Jane’s mouth. She’d been terrified of something happening to her mum for the whole day, and even more afraid when she’d confined herself to her room. The very sight of Jane, prone on the bed, with Catherine sitting by her, was enough to cause tears to well up in her eyes.

“Mum, you can’t go, you can’t!” Katherine cried out in panic, wiping tears from her face and rushing towards the bed. Jane propped herself up on her elbows with some help from Parr, and she smiled weakly at her daughter. “It’s gonna be okay, love, I promise. Everything’s going to be alright, Kitty,” Jane whispered, opening her arms and hugging her tightly when she fell into them, sobbing. Parr took a deep breath and stood up, letting the duo have time to say goodbye.

Time passed, and eventually Katherine noticed that Jane’s arms weren’t holding her as tightly as before; in fact, they… They were slack. Frantically, she untangled herself from the embrace, holding her mum by the shoulders. “Mum, are you okay? Please no you can’t- you can’t do this, please don’t leave me alone!” Protests fell on deaf ears, because as soon as Kitty let go, Jane slumped backwards onto the wall, eyes staring vacantly. Her mother, her second chance, was dead.

Catherine was fetching Anna when she heard the wail of grief come from Jane’s room. No, it couldn’t be… The girls rushed towards it, opening the door to find Katherine cradling Jane in her arms. Poor Kath, her cousin and mum gone in two days. Parr looked at the girl sympathetically, before deciding to hang back, nudging Anna forward.

Anna of Cleves was friends with Katherine Howard in their first life, and was an even closer friend with her in their second; it broke her heart to see her Kat suffering either way. She spoke softly, a characteristic most thought she lacked, and sat on the bed, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Kat, babe, I’m so sorry. It’s gonna be okay, I promise,” she said earnestly. Those words brought up a fresh bout of tears, as she unknowingly echoed the last words of the woman lying in front of them, so Anna just held her friend close, and if she shed a few tears herself, well, Parr wouldn’t tell.

They stayed there for what felt like hours, and eventually Katherine cried herself to sleep, still shaking and with half-dried tear tracks on her cheeks. The losses over the past few days were devastating, and they were too hard to handle for her. Anna carried her to her bedroom, where she and Parr spent the night watching over her. 

They were really concerned for the youngest queen; hell, anyone would be. How could they not be? Something deadly was happening, and there was no way to stop it. With all this tragedy around them, it would only be a matter of time before history ‘righted’ itself completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I think this one was one of the hardest to write because.. Sad.


	4. Divorced II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day number four. Anna feels poorly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Character death, illness, angst, blood

Anna woke with a start and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She wasn’t quite sure whether she was next. Well, there were two ways this could go. One, they could be dying in the order they died in back then, of which she would be last, or two, they could be dying based on marriage order. Then she’d be next. Oh well, if it was already going to happen, she might as well enjoy her last day.

As soon as that thought ran through her head, she dismissed it. How could she have fun when so many of her friends had just DIED? What kind of person would she be? She decided that she would take care of Kitty instead, because it’s what her best friend deserved, and it’s what Jane would want.

She heard whimpering from next door, and it drew her out of bed and into Katherine’s room. A sigh left her lips as she heard what her friend was saying in her sleep, and she made her way through the mess towards the bed.

“Jane- No, please- Annie don’t leave me! Where are you going? I can’t- NO!” Anna shook her awake, and Katherine cried out, breaking down into her shoulder once she realized what was going on. She cried all over Anna’s t shirt, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She wrapped her arms around her friend, patting her back and murmuring reassuring things into her ear.

She looked up as Parr entered the room quietly, drawn by the sounds coming from it. Anna gestured towards herself and Kitty, and the three remaining queens ended up locked in a tight embrace, tears flowing from each pair of eyes. They were devastated, what with half of the group gone.

Eventually, they moved to the kitchen. Anna and Catherine made breakfast for the three of them while Katherine sat on a stool, staring determinedly ahead of her. This went on for a while, before Anna set a mug of tea and a plate of strawberries on toast in front of her. She tapped the table in front of the girl t0 get her attention, speaking gently.

“Kat? What are you thinking about, babes?” She jumped, noticing the food in front of her and Anna’s concerned look. Katherine was in fact thinking about how with her cousin and mum gone, she’d have to be strong in their absence. At least, until she died too…

“Um, nothing! Nothing important.” Of course, her frown didn’t go unnoticed, but Anna decided not to push it. The trio ate their breakfast in relative silence, a somber mood already settling over them. At the end of the day, there would only be two queens left. The following hours passed in a mostly quiet blur, and all of a sudden, it began.

Anna could feel it starting to come back by the afternoon. Her sickness caused her to cough up blood, she remembered, and as she spit out red into the sink for the umpteenth time, she knew. It was almost time. She went back into the living room, gently waking Kat from her nap. “Hey babes, it’s.. It’s happening.” Those words alone were enough to bring tears to Katherine’s eyes, and she hugged her best friend, murmuring words of support in her ear.

She refused to cry. Anna of Cleves would not reach the end of her life with tears on her face, she would be strong. Instead of crying, she went outside and sat on the grass with Kat, looking around her as if committing the scene to memory.

It was a bright day, unusual for gloomy England, and it seemed almost unfair that a time of such tragedy was accompanied by such pretty skies. Anna leaned against Kat, taking in everything from the chirping of the birds above to the familiar coppery tang of blood in her mouth.

This was it, now or never. “I’m- I’m sorry,” Anna choked out, wiping a smear of blood from her mouth. Katherine looked at her with concern, tearing up and scooting closer to wrap her best friend in a hug. “What on earth could you be sorry about, Anna?” There were loads of things, really. She was sorry that she was leaving, she was sorry that she couldn’t be there for her Kat, and so much more. Finally, she settled on what to say.

“I’m sorry because I promised I’d always be there for you.” It took Anna more effort than she’d like when she said it. By now, she was propped up against the wall of their house, with Kat and Parr on either side of her. When did Catherine get there? She’d really been drifting, hadn’t she. “Catherine?” Once the woman in mention had nodded in affirmation, Anna continued. “I’m sorry we weren’t better friends than we were… Take care of Kat for me, please?”

A coughing fit defeated any attempt to talk further, Catherine ran for a bottle of water, and Katherine ran for the tissue box. They returned, and it was clear that Anna didn’t have long. As she took a sip, things began to blur, but instead of darkness surrounding her, everything was tinged with white. A hand reached out towards hers- Aragon? Anna gaped, taking her friend’s hand, and she was halfway across the lawn before she turned, watching sadly as Katherine sobbed over- her, lying on the grass. Oh.

Catherine shook Anna, tears blurring her vision, but she knew it was over. Katherine screamed, hugging her best friend close and sobbing. It broke her heart to see the girl this way, having lost so much so soon. It would be up to her to take care of Kath now, so she wiped the tears from her face and wrapped her arms around her.

“It’s going to be alright, you hear me? Everything’s going to be alright.” The lie tasted sour when it left Catherine’s lips, but she didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t going to be alright, not by a long shot. Not when Katherine was going to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently this one was rushed because it took me a week to write it?


	5. Beheaded II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5. Katherine's best friend and mum are gone. Now, it's her turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Blood, graphic depiction of death/injury, character death, injury, angst, panic attacks

Katherine woke with a choked cry, hands raised to her neck. The events of the past week raced through her mind, and she gasped, eyes widening. Before she allowed the panic to set in, she all but jumped out of bed, rushing to Catherine Parr’s room.

It’s true that they weren’t the closest of friends, but she was all Kath had left. That being said, she knocked on the door, chest heaving with uneven gasps, and she fell into Catherine’s arms when the door opened. 

“Bad dreams, Katherine?” It was funny to hear her full name, as most of the queens gave her a nickname of some sort, but she pushed that aside and nodded. She could die at any time today, and the very notion of that filled her with dread. 

“It’s… It’s going to happen today, and- Well, I’m scared, Cath. I don’t wanna die, I don’t!” Katherine held on tightly, hiccupping sobs making yet another appearance. Parr shushed her, sinking them down onto the floor where she stroked her hair. She half-registered this movement, trying to get her crying under control.

A few deep breaths and murmured words later, she sniffled and wiped her eyes. She was an adult, for God’s sake, she couldn’t keep acting like a child. As soon as she thought that, Catherine put a hand on her cheek, almost as if she’d read her mind. “Listen, Katherine, it’s alright to be scared; I know I would be in your position. I’m not Jane, but I’m still going to be here for you, alright?” The girl nodded, slowly leaning into the touch. From their, the pair did their best to start the day.

Katherine spent the morning filled with fear, thinking every twinge of her scars would be the start of her end. Her anxiety turned minutes to millennia, but she was determined to snap out of it. It was gonna be fine! Everything was going to be fine.

Actually, she decided, screw that. As the hazy morning transitioned into afternoon, a thunderstorm shook the house, rain pelting against the windows and really helping the dreary mood. Lightning flashed and thunder bellowed, making the spooked girl even more frightened. At the storm’s crest, it began.

A strangled cry drew Parr into Katherine’s bedroom, arms full of bandages and towels and whatever she could find to staunch the bleeding. Though she’d seen it once already, nothing could prepare Catherine for the sight. 

There was blood, lots of it, coming from the numerous scars on Katherine’s neck. Immediately, Parr rushed to her side, wrapping the roll of bandages around the wounds and holding a towel to stop the flow as best she could. It was futile, but Catherine had to do something, at least. She couldn’t stand by and helplessly watch Katherine die. 

The girl in question was definitely not having a good time; after all, how can you if you’re bleeding out? She choked, the coppery liquid filling her mouth, and she knew this was it. Tears mingled with the blood spattering her face, and Katherine tried not to think about the grossness of it all. It was easier than expected, because the next time she blinked, she was lying on the ground and someone was kneeling over her. 

Floating above her, Katherine could hear fuzzy variants of “stay with me!” and “Kath, love, can you hear me?” The familiar endearment stood out, and through the haze, she murmured, “Jane..? M-Mum, is that you?” Katherine’s eyes fluttered shut, but she could see Jane beckoning towards her. Was she- was this real? Somewhere in her mind, she knew it wasn’t, but Kath couldn’t help but reach out and take her mum’s hand. 

Catherine cried out as she felt Kath’s grip grow slack, begging her to hold on. She hated how powerless she felt against the situation, especially how she couldn’t even provide Katherine with the comfort she sought from Jane. She couldn’t bring back the dead, could she? 

Now, Catherine Parr was well and truly alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That one hurt to read, y'all. THE LAST CHAPTER SHOULD BE COMING OUT SOON, I'M EXCITED FOR THE END


	6. Survived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final day, the final wife. Catherine says her goodbyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Debilitating angst, character death, revisitations of earlier deaths, anxiety, panic attacks

Catherine was ready. At least, she thought so. That morning, she woke to an eerie silence filling the house. It felt strange, and she almost expected Anne to burst into her room and cause a ruckus, Jane cooking in the kitchen and Anna putting on loud music. When none of that happened, she sighed, not knowing what she was thinking. She wasn’t thinking; she missed them.

Her godmother was the first. The queens had no idea what was going on at the time, but Aragon’s death shook Catherine’s world. Though she spent that night with the others, in solitude she spent most of the following day. 

First, there was silence. Then, the onslaught of tears rushed in like the Red Sea, drowning her in sorrow and in grief. After all this time spent together, all their tearful reunion and everything til now, this was the end of it? It was unfair. 

Mourning only gave way to more of the same, as Anne lay dying on the bathroom floor. Catherine and Anne were close, maybe even best friends, and she couldn’t stand to see her die. Frozen in shock, she hung outside the bathroom, letting Katherine and Jane and Anna help, desperately beating herself up inside for not doing the same. She couldn’t keep rendering herself useless, and so she resolved to be there for Jane when she went next.

Catherine felt a kind of twisted kinship with Jane, given they both died of the same ailment. She comforted her as her death drew closer, but she stepped away to let Katherine say goodbye. Her heart broke when she heard the younger girl scream, and she knew her friend was gone. Frankly, Parr was scared to find out who was next. Would Katherine die? Would Anna?

It turned out to be Anna. The two were never particularly close, but Catherine knew she had her back, as she did with all the queens. It was nice, having a protector; it didn’t hurt that Cleves all but towered over her. Bright, beautiful Anna, always ready with a smile or a pep talk. It broke Parr’s heart to watch her die, but she had to honor Anna’s last wishes. She would care for Katherine as much as she could, and try to comfort her as best she knew how.

Katherine was like a daughter to almost all of the other queens, and the idea of losing her stung. Catherine tried to help her stay calm, but she broke down when the younger girl asked for Jane. There was nothing she could do, dammit, and it infuriated her to no end, losing her to something she didn’t understand. Parr cried herself to sleep again, feeling lonelier than the night after she married Henry.

When Catherine awoke to pain in her stomach, she knew. The final day, the final wife. Before the end of today, the queens would be gone, forever silenced. Not if she could help it. For those last precious hours she had, she clenched her teeth against the ebbing pain and picked up a pen. Funny, how she had started this journey by writing, and how she would end it that way too. 

Catherine ignored the way her stomach twisted in favor of writing about her fr- her family. She wrote of her godmother’s loyalty, Anne’s wisdom, Jane’s devotion, Anna’s positivity, and Katherine’s intelligence. Of herself, she wrote that her desire and purpose of that lengthy letter were for history to remember them as they were, rather than how men perceived them to be. 

The rest of the day passed in a haze, with Parr spending most of the day writing and thinking. At one point, the room started closing in on her, and she thought that was it for her. Evening found Catherine still huddled on the couch, trying not to hyperventilate as the pain got worse. The panic attack rushed over her like a tidal wave, and she was trying not to drown. Somewhere in the chaos, everything went black.

When Catherine woke up the next morning, letter clutched in her hands, her first thought was ‘This can’t be right.’ She looked at her hands, pinched her arm, and frantically rose from the couch.

“Catherine? Anne?” Her voice echoed through the empty house. What was happening? Didn’t she die? In a frenzy, she checked the rooms, finding each one in the same condition as the day before. She didn’t understand what happened to her. She- She felt it happening, she remembered everything going black!

With a shaky inhale, she collapsed back onto the couch. If she was still alive- How did that even work? Her abdomen was on fire yesterday, how was she suddenly cured? Catherine put her head in her hands, trying to breathe deeply and calm herself. 

Too late, she remembered that a symptom of the anxiety she suffered from was.. Stomachaches. That, plus the panic attack she’d suffered- Did Catherine really stress herself into thinking she was dying? In hindsight, it was possible, but she didn’t know why she was still alive. By all logic, she should be dead, and she should be reunited with her family. 

A sob ripped its way from her chest, and she looked at the papers she held. These women that she loved, they were gone forever. She was alone, without them and their story. Catherine Parr was ‘the survivor,’ after all, and it seemed that she lived up to her moniker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: HAH, BET YOU DIDN'T SEE *THAT* COMING, DID YA?  
> Series complete!!


End file.
